Adding Beads as You Go

Beads can be a fun detail to add to crochet projects like lace shawls and sweaters. There are different ways that beads can be incorporated into a project, and you should use the method that works best for you. In this video, Mary Beth Temple demonstrates how to add beads to your crochet project as you go.

To add beads as you go, Mary Beth has two crochet hooks. One hook is the hook she is using for her swatch and the second hook is a small steel crochet hook that will be used to place the beads. She notes that it’s important to ensure that the smaller hook will work with the bead and yarn, so that the bead can slide onto the yarn.

Mary Beth single crochets on her swatch, stopping when she wants to place a bead. She begins the stitch normally, stopping before the last step of the stitch (before the final yarn over, pull through two loops). She takes the project hook out of the loop just created and used the smaller hook with the bead loaded onto it to slide it onto the loop. She puts this loop back on the project hook and then completes the stitch.

Unlike the pre-stringing the bead method, which is worked on the Wrong Side, this bead-as-you-go method is worked from the Right Side. The bead will still sit near the top of the stitch but will be sitting on the side of the stitch facing you, which is why this method is commonly worked on the Right Side/public side of the fabric.